Who was the emperor when Peter wrote this? Most likely it was Nero, Emperor of Rome from A.D. 54-68. ?Nero was hardly a benevolent dictator. He executed many, including his own mother. According to the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio, Nero had a reputation for burning Christians in his garden at night for light, like human tiki torches. ?He hardly seems worthy of honor.

And Peter, who exhorted his readers to honor the emperor, was reportedly crucified by Nero in A.D. 67.

Honor the Emperor? ?Peter didn’t mean people should overlook the emperor’s evil deeds, or say he was a good man. ?Peter said earlier “honor everyone,” sinner and saint alike. ?Why? ?Because God created everyone in his image. ?Even though sin has marred that image, we’re to honor every human being. And we’re to honor authorities because all authority comes from God and they’ve all been placed in authority by God.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1).

To honor our leaders doesn’t mean we must agree with everything they do or that everything they do is right. It doesn’t mean we must obey them if they command us to do something sinful. When the Sanhedrin commanded the apostles to stop preaching the gospel, they said, “We must obey God rather than men.” ?So if ?our government tells us to do something wrong we must obey God rather than men.

But we can still honor our authorities by our attitude toward them and the way we we speak about them whether or not we agree with them. ?So let’s be careful how we talk about Obama and Romney. We can criticize their policies and proposals, evaluate their records, and disagree with them. ?And we should ?stand against sinful destructive policies like abortion. ?Yet all without mocking.

Above all, we should pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2). ?Here’s a challenge for you ? spend as much time praying for our leaders as you do criticizing them or watching political TV.

And remember, no matter who gets elected, God is in control. He’s sovereign over governments, nations and history. ?God is sovereign even over the hearts of wicked leaders. ?”The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). God can change and direct the heart of the most evil ruler. ?So discuss, debate, be informed, but don’t panic. And honor our leaders.